Artichoke, Asparagus & Cucumber
Artichoke
History
Food historians puzzle over the origins of the artichoke whose history seems to
be entangled with the cardoon, another thistle-like Mediterranean plant
relished for its edible leaves and stalks. Cardoon, C. cardunculus, is
possibly a close relative of the artichoke. The distinction becomes even
fuzzier when some botanists insist that the cardoon and the artichoke are in
the same family while others strongly disagree. Early references seem to
confuse the two plants, making it a which came first, the chicken or the egg.
The origin of the word "artichoke" was most likely the Arabic
word al-qarshuf. The Spanish called it alcachofa that
sounds like the Arabic word. The Moorish invasion of Spain may account for this
similarity. The Italian carciofo appears to be influenced by
the Spanish. Their baby artichokes are called carciofini. The
French word for artichoke is artichaut.
Italians love to stuff artichokes with a seasoned breading mixture. Another
typical Italian approach is to fry the sliced hearts in olive oil.
European royalty enjoyed artichokes with enthusiasm because they were believed
to possess aphrodisiac properties. Henry VIII was especially fond of them and
consumed generous quantities. Faith in this vegetable's aphrodisiac qualities
seemed to evolve around the Middle Ages.
The artichoke is actually a flower head or bud that has not completely matured.
When fully matured and opened, the inedible bloom, a brilliant bluish-purple
thistle, can be as large as four or five inches in diameter, some even as large
as seven inches across. The plant itself, an herbaceous perennial, can grow to
a height of ten to twelve feet, though the commercial plants range from four to
six feet. The bushy plants spread to a six-foot diameter.
In past centuries the artichoke was used as a diuretic. It was even thought to
have deodorizing properties and was considered an ideal breath freshener.
Fiber is a prime feature of this vegetable with one medium artichoke supplying
a hearty 6 grams. Dieters can also enjoy the artichoke for its low count of
only 60 calories.
Artichoke lovers will always deny that eating a large artichoke is a test of
patience. One must never be in a hurry when presented with such a delicacy.
It's assuredly a hands-on experience--ideal for those who love to dive in and
get personal with their food. If you want to create a relaxed atmosphere with a
group of dinner guests who've never met, just serve them artichokes and a
variety of sauces for dipping. A guaranteed ice-breaker is to serve one
artichoke shared between two people.
California artichokes are available throughout the year. The peak season,
however, is from March through May with another harvest in October.
If this is your first encounter with an artichoke, let us reassure you it's not
as intimidating as it may look. It's quite easy and once you've mastered the
technique, you'll agree.
Artichokes can be steamed, boiled, baked, fried, and stuffed. Cooked, they are
delicious served hot or cold. They can be served as an appetizer, a side dish,
a featured ingredient in soup, or even as a main course.
Some historical books
indicate that the artichoke was developed from a wild form of the cardoon,
while Geoffrey Grigson's A Dictionary of English Plant Names states
that the cardoon "may have been derived in cultivation" from the
artichoke.
Historians are in
agreement on one thing: the artichoke originated in a Mediterranean country,
possibly Sicily or nearby Tunisia, known as Carthage in ancient times. Some references
say it was not known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, while others say it was.
During the Middle Ages
there was hardly a mention of artichokes in historical references, though it
was known they were definitely enjoyed at Sicilian tables. This same period saw
Saracens growing them in Granada while the Moors were cultivating them in North
Africa.
Naming the Artichoke
From Sicily, artichokes
found their way to Naples, then traveled to Florence about 1466. By the time
Catherine de Medici was born in 1519, her beloved Tuscany had been growing
these treasures for nearly fifty years. It was possibly Catherine who
introduced the artichoke to France when she became the 14-year-old bride of
Henry II, King of France. Along with her personal servants came an entourage of
Italian cooks with their traditional foods and cooking techniques they
introduced into the French royal kitchens.
Catherine defied the
popular convention dictating that women were not to eat vegetables thought to
possess aphrodisiac qualities. That practice was reserved for men only. But
Catherine loved artichokes, ate them openly, and in large quantities. One
historian who observed her practice is quoted as saying that she "liked to
burst."
A female writer of that
period, referring to Catherine de Medici, wrote, "If one of us had eaten
artichokes, we would have been pointed out on the street. Today young women are
more forward than pages at the court."
From the 16th century to
the end of the 20th century, the French were growing artichokes in Paris and
even raised them to gourmet status. Like many uncommon vegetables of that time,
artichokes were so costly only the wealthy aristocracy could afford them. When
farmers in Italy, Greece and Spain began to grow artichokes in large
quantities, the vegetable lost status in France and cultivation began to
diminish.
In the 1690's two
entrepreneurs created a different role for the artichoke. A Mennonite bishop
and a printer teamed up to open a paper mill in Germantown, Pennsylvania where
they experimented by digressing from the standard ingredients of used garments
and linen rags to make paper. Instead, they employed the strong fibers of the
artichoke along with thistles, nettles, moss, asparagus, peat, rush, and sea
weed. Their results, unfortunately, were a dismal failure.
Wolfgang Goethe,
eighteenth and nineteenth century poet and dramatist, shunned the artichoke. In
his book Travels Through Italy he says, "the
peasants eat thistles," a practice he could never adopt.
During the nineteenth
century, the Spanish introduced the artichoke to California while the French
brought them to Louisiana. The unique vegetable was considered quite the
delicacy among the French. Even today, restaurants in New Orleans, where so
many people of French origin settled, regularly feature artichokes on their
menus.
In contrast to the
French, the British all but ignored the artichoke. This is not surprising. The
English were reluctant to accept practically all new vegetables that passed
their way.
Today most artichokes
grown worldwide are cultivated in France, Italy, and Spain, while California
provides nearly 100 percent of the United States crop.
California was
reintroduced to the artichoke in the early 1900's when a number of Italian
immigrants settled in the northern coastal city of Half Moon Bay. After
harvesting their several hundred acres of artichokes, they sent their first
shipment to the East Coast in 1906.
Interest in this
vegetable continued to mount in Northern California. By the 1950's artichokes
became so popular in the state, they earned the status of official vegetable of
Monterey County.
Castroville, California,
with its population of 5,000, named itself "the Artichoke Center of the
World" for its ideal climate of moist air, even temperatures, and plenty
of summertime foggy days along the coast. With its two packing houses and the
country's only artichoke processing plant, Castroville became the United States
artichoke growing center. Every year the town celebrates the harvest during the
month of May with a festival that brings many visitors for a taste of
innovative artichoke creations.
Artichokes in other cultures
Some counties discard
the artichoke stems while others eat them with gusto. This is understandable.
Sometimes the stems are fully edible, tender, and flavorful, but with old or
overripe artichokes they can be tough, fibrous, and even bitter.
The Italians grow a
number of varieties of artichokes. They particularly enjoy the very small ones
that cook to such tenderness they can be eaten in entirety. Four of their main
varieties include Catanese, Romanesco, Spinoso Sardo, and Violetto di Toscana.
Some of these appealing cultivars have tints of pink and purple on their outer
leaves. A few of the purple varieties can be eaten raw if they are very young.
They are seldom exported, but travelers remark about their exquisite flavors.
The rich cooking style
of the New Orleans French Quarter turns the artichoke into a receptacle for
stuffing with seafood and seasoned bread crumbs laced with onions, garlic,
Romano cheese, and fresh lemon peel. Another French innovation involves serving
artichoke leaves surrounding a bowl filled with an oyster dip.
Folklore and Strange Phenomena
Because cynarin, a
phytochemical found in artichokes, has such a potent effect on the taste buds,
people who enjoy wine with their meal find it unpalatable when eaten with
artichokes. They suggest ice water instead. Two taste tests, one in 1934, the
other in 1972, confirmed this phenomenon, noting that the majority of the
people in the test found that after eating an artichoke, a sweet taste lingered
for a short period. Those sweet tasters discovered that anything eaten
immediately after tasted sweet.
This finding dismayed
one winemaker in particular, an Italian who produced Cynar, an aperitif made
from artichokes, thinking it would make foods tastier. Ah, well. It was a sweet
thought.
Growing
Each plant produces
small, medium, and large artichokes with the largest artichokes formed at the
top of the terminal buds along the central stem. The smaller artichokes develop
on lower branches.
What we call the leaves
that resemble petals are actually bracts. The edible portion is at the base of
the bract where it attaches to the heart or stem. Artichokes come in all sizes
from 2 3/4 to 5 inches (7 to 12.5 cm) in height and can weigh from 5 ounces to 2
1/4 pounds (141.8g to 1.1 kg).
The globe artichoke, the
most abundant producing artichoke, Cynara scolymus, belongs to
the thistle group of the sunflower family/ Compositae (Asteraceae) family.
Artichokes can be grown
from seed or from crown shoots. However, California commercial growers prefer
the crown shoots from the Green Globe variety for their higher yields of
marketable artichokes. These shoots are obtained from root sections attached to
the basal stems, often referred to as stumps.
The desert regions of
California and Arizona are now experimenting with a hybrid globe variety. Even
the East Coast is interested in artichoke cultivation with Connecticut and
Virginia working toward developing varieties that will grow successfully in those
climates. During the l990's several new varieties, Emerald, Imperial Star,
Grand Buerre, Purple Sicilian and Talpiot have been grown in California's
inland valleys, where the climate is hotter and drier. Growers of the new
varieties in varying climates have seen mixed results.
Temperatures below 25
F(-4 C) during winter can be damaging and require heavy mulching. In very cold
climates the outer skin of the artichoke, or bud as it is called by growers,
blisters and turns whitish, making it unattractive and hard to sell, though it
does not affect the eating quality.
The plants thrive in
very deep, well-fertilized, and well-drained soils that provide plenty of room
for root development. Artichokes can be grown as annuals in areas that
experience freezing temperatures. Purchasing seedlings from a local nursery
during the spring season would certainly be an easier choice for home
gardeners.
Plants produce for five
to ten years with new growth of shoots stimulated by completely cutting back
the plant several inches below the surface. This is done after every harvest.
Because the artichokes
do not mature all at the same time, each plant must be harvested every seven
days throughout the growing season. Harvesting is labor intensive and is done
completely by hand with pickers who cut and toss each bud into a large basket
carried on their backs. A full basket can weigh up to 80 pounds (36.3 kg).
About three-fourth of
the artichokes harvested are sold fresh, with one fourth going to canning
processors or frozen packers where they become artichoke hearts, bottoms,
quarters, and even marinated varieties.
When harvesting
artichokes, cut the stem 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) below the base of
the bud. The remainder of that stem should be cut to allow new artichoke buds to
develop. Refrigerate the artichokes soon after cutting them from the plant.
Commercial growers will
cool their artichokes at 32 F to 33 F (0 C) within hours after harvest by
packing them in waxed cartons with adequate ventilation holes that allow the release
of heat and gas. With this method they can keep artichokes in storage for two
to three weeks.
Health Benefits
In Turkey artichoke
decoctions are used as blood cleansers and for detoxing the liver which in turn
cleanses the skin. That country also considers the artichoke to be the ideal
remedy for hepatitis.
Today, vegetables are
recognized as mini packages of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. The
artichoke is being examined in research labs to explore its phytochemical
contents. Two of these compounds, cynarin and silymarin, possess powerful
antioxidant properties that may be beneficial in helping the liver to
regenerate tissue growth.
That our ancestors
considered the artichoke an appetite stimulant is no surprise. Research has
found that the phytochemical cynarin truly does stimulate the taste buds. It's
also responsible for bringing sweet flavors to any foods you eat immediately
after eating the artichoke.
Nutrition
This delectable
vegetable is a heavyweight on the protein chart offering 4 grams.
The artichoke is truly a
no-fat, no cholesterol treat that offers a host of vitamins and minerals
including magnesium, chromium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and
calcium.
The vitamin A content
soars to 212 IU. For the B vitamin, niacin, it supplies 1.20 mg while vitamin
B6 offers .13 mg. All-important folic acid adds up 61.2 mcg and vitamin C
provides 12 mg.
Artichokes are a good
source of calcium measuring 54 mg while iron supplies 1.5 mg. Magnesium climbs
to 72 mg while potassium scores an impressive 425 mg. Even zinc makes an
appearance with .6 mg. for that medium size.
Because artichokes are
so well endowed with nutrients and phytochemicals, many health researchers believe
eating them may contribute to the prevention of certain types of heart disease,
cancer, and birth defects.
The Nitty-Gritty of
Eating an Artichoke
When fully cooked, the
individual leaves of the artichoke are pulled off from their fleshy base and
eaten one at a time. This practice led to an Italian expression, "la
politica del carciof," referring to the policy of dealing with
opponents one at a time.
Each leaf is dipped into
a sauce and eaten by biting down and pulling the leaf, curved side down,
through the clenched front teeth to scrape off the edible 20% portion of the
vegetable. The leaf is then discarded. The sauce one chooses for dipping can
vary from plain to flavored mayonnaise to pungent salad dressings and
vinaigrettes.
Wait, there's more! The
best is yet to come! When nearly all the leaves are eaten, there is a small
cone of thin leaves that surround the "choke." Simply pull these off
altogether to expose the choke. Now you must remove the choke, that fibrous,
inedible, spiked or bristled portion attached to the heart that one can easily
recognize as the immature thistle. The choke can be easily pulled off in bits
and pieces by hand, scooped out with a spoon, or trimmed off with a knife.
The portion that's left
is considered the piece de resistance, the favored heart of the artichoke, a
succulent, meaty segment that can be cut into pieces and used in other recipes
or simply enjoyed as is dipped into your favorite sauce.
Now, don't forget about
the fleshy stem. Unless the artichoke is old or overripe, the stem is nearly as
delicious as the heart.
One last suggestion: Be
sure to provide a bowl for the discarded leaves. Most people don't like to see
a messy bunch of leaves and fuzzy chokes piled up helter skelter on their
plates.
Purchasing and Storing
Select artichokes that
are heavy and compact for their size, an indication that they will be moist and
fleshy. Choose those of bright olive green color or with a minimum of darkening
on the outer leaves. Look for artichokes that have closed or nearly closed
leaves that are thick and sturdy. Those with leaves that are wide open are
considered overripe and may be tough and less flavorful.
Avoid those with large
areas of black or dark brown color on the tips of the leaves and especially
avoid those with black areas at the base of the leaves. The black areas
indicate the artichokes have begun to rot. Don't choose those that are light in
weight and look shriveled. These are indications they are old and may have
begun to dry.
Refrigerate artichokes
in a perforated plastic bag soon after purchase. They will keep for 4 or 5
days. Cooked artichokes are quite perishable. After cooking, store leftovers in
a plastic bag in the refrigerator for no more than 2 to 3 days.
Cooked and marinated
artichokes can also be purchased by the pound or in jars in Italian markets and
in supermarkets. Also available are those that are cooked, quartered, and
water-packed in cans.
Frozen artichoke hearts,
available is supermarkets, have no added ingredients. Simply heat them a minute
or two in boiling water.
Preparation
The artichoke consists
of four main parts--+the leaves, the choke, the heart (or bottom), and the
stem. Begin by thoroughly washing the vegetable, then turning it upside-down to
drain off all the water.
Next, pull off and
discard a few of the small outer leaves at the base. These will be tough, even
after cooking so you won't miss them. Then lay the artichoke on its side, and
using a sharp, serrated, non-carbon steel knife and a sawing motion, cut off
and discard the top third of the leaves. A carbon steel knife will react with
the artichoke and turn it black.
With a kitchen scissors,
snip off the top half-inch of the remaining leaves to remove the sharp prickly
thorns.
Use a small paring knife
to peel the outer layer of the stem and the tough edges at the base of the
leaves you removed.
Now you're ready to cook
the artichoke.
Cooking
Steaming
Avoid cooking artichokes
in aluminum or cast iron pans or your artichokes will turn an ugly, dark
grayish green. Cook the artichokes upside-down in a covered saucepan with 1/2
to 1 inch ( 1 to 2.5 cm) of water depending on what size and how many
artichokes you are cooking. Include a couple of generous pinches of salt, and
add a lemon wedge to the pot to help the artichokes retain their attractive
green color. Most cookbooks suggest cooking the artichoke standing upright. In
addition, they also suggest cutting off and discarding the stem. We prefer to
savor the stem and keep it attached.
Turn the heat to high to
bring the water to a boil. Then turn the heat down to medium, and steam for 25
to 45 minutes depending on the size of the artichoke. To test for doneness,
lift the cover and pierce the heart with a fork. There should be no resistance.
After steaming, large
artichokes can also be stuffed by spooning seasoned stuffing of choice between
the leaves and baking just long enough to firm the stuffing, about 30 to 45
minutes at 325 F (Gas Mark 3).
Baby artichokes are far
easier to deal with. When completely cooked, they are so tender, the entire
vegetable can be eaten, choke, leaves, and all. Baby artichokes can be steamed
or deep-fried. When cooked they can be marinated. Steaming time is 12 to 15
minutes.
Salads
When you haven't the time to cook artichokes from scratch, the water-packed
canned ones are a delicious addition to any salad. You can add them whole or
cut them into halves or quarters.
The marinated variety
offers great flavor simply served as a party appetizer along with a dip.
Canned, water-packed,
cooked artichoke bottoms (or hearts) also make an ideal base for a party
appetizer. Simply fill them with tabbouli, hummus, mock tuna salad (made from
soy protein), guacamole, a finely minced marinated mushroom salad, or soy cream
cheese sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Braising
Prepare the artichokes for cooking, and put them into a saucepan with onions, garlic,
a bay leaf, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Add 2 T. olive oil and cover with
water. Simmer one to two hours depending on size. Test for doneness by piercing
the heart with a fork. There should be no resistance.
Another suggestion is to
remove the leaves and choke of two or three artichoke. Slice the hearts or cut
them into chunks. Combine them in a large saucepan or Dutch oven with tomato
wedges, zucchini chunks, sliced onions, sweet potato chunks, garlic, herbs, and
water. Cover, and cook about 25 to 30 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Cold
Cooked whole artichokes make an excellent presentation as a cold dish served
with a pungent vinaigrette. As an alternative, the hearts can be part of a
separate recipe, while the separated leaves make an ideal buffet platter as
they surround a thick dipping sauce.
Add cooked artichoke
hearts to bean salad, potato salad, grain salads, and even pasta salads. Crisp
tossed green salads taste even better with artichoke hearts.
Stuffing
To prepare the artichoke for stuffing, cut off the stem at the base and follow
the directions for steaming. After it is fully cooked, use your fingers to
spread open the outer leaves. Pull out the inner core of leaves that cover the
choke. This will reveal the choke so it can be scooped out with a spoon. Now
the artichoke is ready for stuffing.
A botanical plate showing the life
cycle of the asparagus plant
Asparagus
season in the UK very short, going from only May until June. Of course, these
days we are no longer a slave to the seasons and can have fresh asparagus that
has been grown in Peru or Kenya whenever we like. I love the stuff, but I do
feel that our food loses some if its magic when seasons no longer matter. It is
for this reason I only buy British asparagus.
Asparagus
has been eaten in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and has been loved in France
for many centuries, and it is the carefully cultivated and selected French type
of asparagus that made its way to Britain in the seventeenth century, a time of
great ‘vegetable improvement’, and it is still grown here today. This does not
mean that prior to this date we did not eat it or try to cultivate it.
The etymology of asparagus is
interesting – many people think that it was called sparrow grass,
but the upper class thought it a vulgar term and subtly changed its name to asparagus to
make it sound more posh. This is not quite true: it actually began life
as asparagus coming from Mediæval Latin, then it was shortened
to sparage in Late Old English and then further modified
to asperages in Middle English. It was anglicised to sperach or sperage in
the 16thcentury, but strangely it was officially spelled as asparagus to
be in line with Latin. The word asparagus became associated
with “stiffness and pedantry”, and the “folk-etymologi[s]ed” sparrow
grass arose in reaction to these Latin throwbacks. All this
information came from the wonderful Online Etymological Dictionary.
I love the Old English word – eorðnafela – sounds like some
kind of elf queen from a Tolkien book.
There
are three main types of asparagus which all come from the same plant: there are
the common all-green tender spears that have very good flavour, and then there
is white asparagus, made by ‘forcing’ the spears to grow in the absence of
light by earthing up around and over tips. These are not typically grown in
Britain, though you do spot them from time to time, though they have usually
come from Holland or Belgium, where white asparagus is popular. Lastly, there
is lavender-tipped asparagus which is simply white asparagus that has been
allowed the see the sun again and just colour slightly. White and
lavender-tipped are much more fibrous than the green but have a much more
delicate flavour.
Asparagus
is also infamous for a certain side-effect after it has been eaten and
digested: the distinctive smell it leaves in our urine, which is liked by some,
but hated by others:
[Asparagus] cause a filthy and
disagreeable smell in the urine, as everybody knows.
Louis Lemery, Treatise
of All Sorts of Food, 1702
…all night long after a dinner at which I
had partaken of [asparagus], they played (lyrical and coarse in
their jesting as the fairies in Shakespeare’s Dream) at
transforming my chamber pot into a vase of aromatic perfume.
Marcel Proust, In
Search of Lost Times, 1913
[Proust
always overdid things – have you ever read his description of madeleines?]
The
chemical in question is called asparagusic acid, though not everyone has the
ability to produce it (though most do) and not everyone has the ability to
smell it (though most can).
Preparing Asparagus.
It
is very straight-forward to prepare asparagus. You first need to remove the
woody part at the base of the stem. You can do this with a knife, but this
involves guess-work, so it is easier to break the spears one at a time because
they have a natural snap point where the woodiness lessens. You can trim the
ends of course if you want to be fancy. If you have very thin young spears, you
may not have to snap them at all. Along the stem of the plant there are strange
little leaves that lie flat against the stem; you can remove these if you like,
but I tend not to unless the spears are particularly thick.
Asparagus
and Eggs
Asparagus
needs little cooking: just a few minutes steaming is required. Traditionally it
is cooked in a tall asparagus pan so that the spears can be boiled upright.
Here’s how I like to cook mine – it shows off the flavour of asparagus cooked
simply.
Prepare
your spears and place them in a pan in just a few millimetres of salted boiling
water. Cover so that the asparagus part-boils and part-times. Check if they are
cooked by probing the thickest part of a spear – it should be nice and tender.
Asparagus spears of a middling thickness will take no longer than four minutes,
and will most likely be done in three. Once cooked, Remove the spears and keep
them warm, whilst you return the pan to the heat and whisk in a few cubes of
butter and reduce to just a couple of tablespoons. Season with salt (if needed)
and black pepper.
Fact about Asparagus
What do salty soil, smelly urine and well-rotted manure have
in common? All are part of the experience of growing and eating asparagus, the
first harbinger of spring in the vegetable kingdom.
Asparagus is one of three vegetables common in North
American cuisine that comes from a perennial plant (along with artichokes and
rhubarb). Once established, the harvest begins almost as soon as the plants
emerge from dormancy each spring. When the ground defrosts, the massive
underground root system pushes out the edible spears at a rate of 6 inches or
more each day
1. It takes three years from seed to harvest.
Once they get going, asparagus plants can be cropped each
spring for 15 years or more, but the spears start out the diameter of pencil
lead in year one. The mini-spears eventually grow into a ferny, waist-high
canopy which feeds the underground rhizomes with energy synthesized from the
sun. The plants gain strength in year two and by the following spring, some of
the spears are reaching the full diameter of a pencil, signaling they’re ready
to harvest.
2. Everyone makes “asparagus pee,” but not everyone can
smell it.
From our partners at VICE
3. Chickens can help farm asparagus.
Rick and Marilyn Stanley of Chick Farm in Wells, Maine have
conducted experiments on the subject and heartily recommend the practice. In
their 2010 study, weed growth was reduced up to 90 percent after releasing
their chickens in an asparagus field to forage — with no adverse effects to the
crop. The Stanleys recommend a flock of about a dozen hens per 1000 square feet
of asparagus.
4. China outdoes the world in asparagus production, by far.
Though productivity has slowed in recent years, at last
count there were still 57,000 hectares of asparagus in China. The next closest
competitors? Peru has 27,000 hectares in production, while Germany is close
behind with 22,000. The United States ranks fifth with about 14,400 hectares,
virtually all of which is in California, Washington and Michigan.
5. Oceana County, Michigan is the self-proclaimed asparagus
capital of the world.
The county produces two-thirds of the state’s spears and
hosts the National Asparagus Festival in June each year to celebrate the
harvest. Unfortunately, America’s War on Drugs has caused a decline in the
local industry. The United States pays Peruvian farmers to grow asparagus
instead of coca, depressing the global price of asparagus and making it an
unprofitable proposition for American farmers.
6. White asparagus is not genetically induced in any way.
Instead, the lack of pigment in albino spears results from
the absence of sunlight. Farmers pile soil over the emerging spears and cut
them off from below to produce the ghostly novelty. Purple asparagus, on the
other hand, is a genetic variety. But don’t get too excited—it reverts to green
when cooked.
7. White asparagus is one of the most labor-intensive
vegetables to grow.
Every spear is hand-picked just as the tip begins to show
through the surface of the soil. Farm workers carefully excavate around each
spear to a depth of nine inches and clip it at the base. It must be placed
immediately in a dark box so it stays white. Interestingly, white asparagus
turns pink when exposed to sunlight, though there is currently no market for
this color of asparagus.
8. Sea salt was the asparagus farmer’s original herbicide.
Originating in the sandy, sometimes salty, soils of the
Mediterranean basin, asparagus tolerates salinity better than the majority of
common weeds. Modern farmers often rely on chemical herbicides to manage weed
growth, the most labor-intensive aspect of asparagus production, but rock salt
was the old-fashioned alternative. This doesn’t come highly recommended,
however — asparagus may tolerate salt, but adjacent plants won’t. The salt also
forms a hydrophobic crust on the soil, leaving the asparagus asking for water.
9. Asparagus plants exhibit sexual differentiation.
Seed-grown asparagus results in a 50/50 mix of male and
female plants. The flowers look slightly different between the two and the
female plants produce a red berry, a diversion of energy from vegetative growth
that makes them less productive per acre.
For this reason, the main commercial asparagus varieties are genetic
male clones.
10. Love of asparagus inspired an ancient Latin saying.
The emperor Caesar Augustus would bark “Velocius quam
asparagi conquantur!” or “Faster than cooking asparagus,” which can be loosely
translated as, “Get going already!” Augustus was such a connoisseur of the
elegant vegetable, he organized elite military units to procure it for him. The
famed Asparagus Fleets made rounds in the empire to import the best varietals
back to Rome, while the fastest runners were employed to carry fresh spears
high in the Alps, where it could be frozen for later use.
Reference :
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/04/10-surprising-facts-asparagus/
Cucumber
History of Cucumbers
Cucumber is a popular cultivated plant
in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae that managed to captivate our attention from
the moment it appeared in ancient India. Since that pivotal moment over 4000
years ago, cucumber was spread beyond Indian borders, moved through Ancient
Greece, Rome, Europe, New World, China, and eventually becoming fourth most
widely cultivate vegetable in the world. This journey was filed with golden
periods when they were viewed as integral parts of many culture’s cuisines, and
sometimes they were treated as bringers of disease.
Home for cucumbers (which have three
main varieties - "slicing", "pickling", and
"burpless") originated from Ancient India where it grew in the wild.
Around 2-3 millennia BC, early Indian civilization managed to domesticate
cucumber and start infusing it into their rich cuisine. As time went by, their
manufacturing capabilities expanded, and in 1st millennia BC they started
trading with Middle Eastern civilization and Europe. The most famous example of
cucumber finding home in Middle East can be found in the legends of the ancient
Ur and the sagas of Gilgamesh. Later on, Greek civilization embraced cucumbers
and started calling them síkyon (σίκυον). During those times, cucumbers also reached
Turkey, Bulgaria, Africa, Modern-day Serbia and Italy.
Roman Empire was the place where
cucumbers were truly embraced by both nobility and lower classes. The ease of
production and wide variety of types and tastes ensured that cucumbers remained
popular in Italy for several centuries. In addition to eating, cucumbers were
also widely used as a source of several medicinal remedies (both cultivated and
wild cucumbers of cucumbers were used for creation of over various 40
remedies). They treated everything from bad eyesight, scared mices, cured
scorpion bites, and carried around wastes by wives who wished to have children.
The most famous example of cucumbers fascination in Ancient Rome came during
the short reign of Emperor Tiberius (14 – 16 AD) who demanded to eat cucumber
on every day of the year. During summer special gardens were tended just for
his vegetables, and in winter cucumber was grown on moveable bed frames that
were moved to be exposed to the sun, or illuminated with the mirror-stones.
After the fall of Rome, cucumbers
receded from popularity for long amounts of time. They resurfaced on the court
of Charlemagne in 8th and 9th century, and arrived in England in 14th century.
That first interaction with English population was not successful, but
cucumbers returned there in mid-17th century when they managed to take hold.
Age of Discovery proved to be a very
important factor of spreading cucumber all across the word. Christopher
Columbus brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494 where they were grown by Spanish
settlers and distributed further across New World. During 16th century,
European trappers in North America introduced cucumbers to the native Indians
in the region of Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. Those tribes quickly saw
the potential and nutritious value of cucumbers and watermelons, integrating
them into immediately into their fields. The best Native American cucumber
farmers were located on the lands of modern North and South Dakota.
During 18th century, expansion of
cucumbers across North America suddenly stopped when several medicinal journals
started reporting that cucumbers and all similar vegetables that were not
cooked represented serious health risk. Discouraged by those misconceptions,
cucumber use plummeted across the continent, which was reversed only in 19th
century.
In 2010 worldwide cucumber production
was 57.5 million tons, with majority of the world’s production and export being
located in China (40.7 million tons).
How to Select and Store
Since cucumbers can be very
sensitive to heat, you'll be on safer grounds if you choose those that are
displayed in refrigerated cases in the market. They should be firm, rounded at
their edges, and their color should be a bright medium to dark green. Avoid
cucumbers that are yellow, puffy, have sunken water-soaked areas, or are
wrinkled at their tips.
We address the issue of seeds and
skins in our Tips for Preparing Cucumbers" section below. But during the
selection process, you may find it helpful to know that thin-skinned cucumbers
will generally have fewer seeds than those that are thick-skinned.
Cucumbers should be stored in the
refrigerator where they will keep for several days. Cucumbers should not be
left out at room temperature for too long as this will cause them to wilt and
become limp.
Here is some background on why we
recommend refrigerating cucumbers. Whenever food is stored, four basic factors
affect its nutrient composition: exposure to air, exposure to light, exposure
to heat, and length of time in storage. Vitamin C, vitamin B6, and carotenoids
are good examples of nutrients highly susceptible to heat, and for this reason,
their loss from food is very likely to be slowed down through refrigeration.
If you do not use the entire
cucumber during one meal, place it in a tightly sealed container so that it
does not become dried out. For maximum quality, cucumber should be used within
one or two days.
Tips
for Preparing Cucumbers
Two common questions about
cucumbers involve consumption of their skin and their seeds. There are several
facts you need to know before making your decision about consumption of
cucumber skins and seeds. First, it is important to remember that the skins and
seeds of cucumbers are both rich in nutrients. In fact, the nutrient richness
of both plant parts is significantly higher than the flesh. For this reason,
consumption of both skins and seeds is desirable from a nutritional standpoint.
Both conventionally grown and organically grown cucumbers may have been waxed.
However, the only waxes that can be used on organically grown cucumbers are
non-synthetic waxes, and these waxes must be free of all chemical contaminants
that are prohibited under organic regulations. Conventionally grown cucumbers
may be waxed with synthetic waxes that contain unwanted chemical contaminants.
For these reasons, we recommend leaving the skin of organically grown cucumbers
intact regardless of whether the organically grown cucumber has been waxed. For
conventionally grown cucumbers, we recommend removal of the waxed skin. For
conventionally grown cucumbers that have not been waxed, we don't have a good
research basis for recommending either removal or non-removal of the skin.
However, if you do decide to consume the skin of a non-waxed, conventionally
grown cucumber, we recommend thorough washing of the whole cucumber under cool
running water while gently scrubbing with a natural bristle brush.
Some people have a personal
preference for removal of cucumber seeds, and we respect this preference. The
seeds can easily be removed from a cucumber if it's cut lengthwise and the tip
of a spoon is used to gently scoop out the seeds. Our general recommendation,
however, is to keep and consume the seeds, since they are an unusually rich
source of nutrients. Getting optimal nourishment from your cucumbers while
minimizing your health risks will mean choosing organically grown cucumbers over
conventionally grown varieties.
How to Enjoy
A
Few Quick Serving Ideas
- Use half-inch
thick cucumber slices as petite serving "dishes" for chopped
vegetable salads.
- Mix diced
cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine
vinaigrette.
- For refreshing
cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée
cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to
taste.
- Add diced
cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.
Reference :
http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/history-of-cucumbers/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=42
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